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61

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: February 03, 2022, 01:39:46 PM »

Knix gave up 120 points and your takeaway is the offense was the problem?

Mostly I thought Bane missed a slew of his patented shots, especially pullup midrangers.  Early 3Q, Bane had a wide wide open corner 3 and his shooting mechanics looked odd.  He also made mistakes on D.  Seemed like he was distracted, or not healthy, or NYC got him.

Mitch did lay down some mighty fine D on Ja.   Was like a last season flashback.

3 mins into the 3Q, Knix down 10. Randle completely loses track of his man and comically darts around, while Jaren Jax cans an open 3.  Not sure why his teammates didn't point out where his guy was, or maybe they were saying Cold ... Colder ... Warm.  But Randle really was searching for his man, and went the wrong way a couple times.  Finally just giving up and standing in the paint as the 3 went up and in.

62

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: February 03, 2022, 08:05:40 AM »

Knix defense a mess.
4Eva opened with a good defensive possession on Bane, then had trouble with screens and staying on his man.  Griz seemed to be going at him early.  Maybe trying to make him work and thwart his 1Q fireworks.  PLus pick on the weak defenders.  RJB did pretty well on Ja early.  Who still found ways to score while being defended well.  2Q, Thibs used RJB as the second unit PG.

Transition D:
3:20 left in 1Q.  5 Knix are back.  4 Griz trot slowly upcourt to join them.   somehow Burks is down on the left block, while his man is at the right elbow.  And cans a wide open 3.  How does that happen?

Earlier, mid-1Q, another Memf slow break and Kemba heads to the FT line while his assignment walks to the right elbow 3.  Walker runs into and gets screened by Mitch.  That's giving up 6 points just due to inattention.

First 2Q possession, 4 Knix back.  All 5 Griz bring it up slowly, along with the 5th Knick.  Grimes tells ObiT to pick up the Big on the wing, but ObiT prefers to guard the ballhandling guard, thus for no reason offering Memf two mismatches.  Even worse, both Grimes and ObiT decide to defend the ball, so Brandon Clarke streaks down the side unguarded, gets an easy pass and dunks.  Again 4 Knix were back early and Memf just came downcourt unthreatening at a normal pace.

2 mins into the 2Q, Knix again have 4 guys back, and Griz bring the ball up.  This time it's a 5-on-4 as Burks tripped over a baseline cameraman.  But somehow 3 Griz are open around the arc.  IQ for some reason is in the paint near nobody.  ObiT hedges between the two open right side 3 point shooters.  Another uncontested 3 in transition.

So Knix gave up 11 points in transition on 4 plays in the first 13 minutes of the game, just by being careless and disorganized.  Signs of a bad incohesive team.

63

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: February 02, 2022, 10:06:28 AM »

Trent Jr. killing it.
30+ points (with 5 or more made 3's) in 5 straight.
31/60 on 3's in the last 5 games.

64

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: February 01, 2022, 11:35:17 PM »

Fournier?  4Eva's shooting, iffy defense and tendency to disappear for only $50M over 3 years.  Maybe if Cavs need more 1Q scoring.  CLE might wonder why Foreva was being moved again.  I doubt they want a weak D backcourt mate for Garland.

Cavs could target Gary Harris.  $21M ending deal.  Gives them flexibility.  Could be re-signed for much less.  Or Josh Rich.  $12M next year.  Both solid defenders with some range. 

65

Basketball / Julie Kelly has stepped thru the mirror

« on: February 01, 2022, 11:22:08 PM »

Julie Kelly:

Believing January 6 was an inside job perpetrated by Democrats and Trumps fiercest enemies in the government isnt a conspiracy theory.

Believing it was an armed, deadly insurrection incited by Donald Trump and executed by white supremacists is the conspiracy theory.

So Trump claimed the election was stolen and held a mass rally and ... only Dems showed up disguised as Trump supporters?  You'd think it might be easier for the Left to not attack anything and just let Biden peacefully be certified?

Next level food for thought:
Maybe Trump was in on it and his people hired the Dem instigators...
 

66

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: February 01, 2022, 05:48:56 AM »

Love me some TyH.  Just keeps things so simple.  And plays smart.
In their last game v. PHI, 4 Kings surrounded Embiid on the right edge of the paint.
TyH the lone King guarding the weak side.  He positions himself to cut off the pass to the corner, and as Embiid spins around and kicks out to the left elbow, TyH jumps the passing lane, deflects the ball and gets an easy layup.  Just a brilliant 1-on-2 play.

First 1/4 Fournier.
SacKings manage to not guard both the 3-point line and the paint.  An impressive diversity of bad D.  Everybody but Davion and TyH looks checked out.
Davion with a pair of 1Q blocks.
TyH twice in the first 14 mins fires a long lead pass to challenge the (usually poor) Knick transition D.  One layup, one missed layup.

67

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 31, 2022, 03:04:34 PM »

Btw, the TOR-MIA game was amazing.
Here's the 4Q replay: https://nbafullhd.com/61330-2/
& the OT's: https://nbafullhd.com/61331-2/
Playoff intensity, physical, heroics.

68

Basketball / Condescension at no Extra Charge

« on: January 31, 2022, 04:44:12 AM »

Your trolling persistence is impressive.  But you still know nothing about China or life in China under Covid, while the articles you cite are often alarmist and/or misleading.  Ready for some help?

Buy Advil at the corner store? The cops know instantly, the "residential committee" will give you a courtesy call, and you may has well march straight into isolation.

Impressive how everything you wrote is wrong:
1) Advil isn't sold here.  Tylenol is.  Even my Chinese doctor friends have never heard of Advil. 
2) The police have nothing to do with this.  The gov't knows who buys Tylenol, because while it's OTC, you need to show your ID card/passport and the purchase is entered into the system (with name, phone number, ID #).
3) you can walk straight to any hospital or clinic or probably the neighborhood committee itself and get tested for free.  The idea is to encourage people with possible fevers to get CV tested. 

Not sure if one negative result restores your green health code status.  The reporter is mildly alarmist about people losing their green status, but doesn't bother to explain how easy/difficult restoration is.  It might take just a couple hours.

Also, pressuring cold medicine buyers to get tested is an extra measure being applied in Beijing, as BJ deals with both the Olympics and a minor outbreak (40+ cases).  So this might apply to 20M people in one city, and affect a somewhat small subset thereof, but isn't national policy.

Days after buying over-the-counter medicine from a pharmacy in Beijing, university student Yu was stunned to find her prized green health code -- the essential rating needed to enter the city's shops, offices and public transport -- was gone.

Health-tracking apps are now required for entry almost everywhere, including offices, transport stations, stores, malls and taxis.
Without it, normal life grinds to a halt.

This is what I mean by misleading.  The writer should make it clear that that is strictly a new and likely temporary Beijing policy, which is now extra-stringent during the Olympics (and a minor outbreak of a few dozen cases).  In Shanghai, the green health code is only needed to enter gov't buildings.  The only time I ever use it is to enter the (gov't) hospital grounds.  The subway, office buildings, taxis, stores, bars, etc. don't require a health code.

Bottom line: for 1.3B in China, life is CV-free and close to normal.  To maintain that, a few border towns face repeated lockdowns, Xi'an got locked down for 2 weeks, mass testing is implemented when mini-outbreaks occur; Beijing locked down a few neighborhoods, apparently is relying on health codes more, and now is pressuring cold medicine purchasers to get tested. 

Maintaining a CV-free environment is not easy, and there will be some inconvenience and hardships, but it's certainly way way better than a million dead and tens of million sickened, the health care system overwhelmed, people's lives disrupted for years, and living with daily fear.  I'm unvaccinated and usually mask free (I wear it when required or the rare occasions everybody else is wearing one) and go out in public without worry.  Wish others had those same options, freedom and peace of mind.

69

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 31, 2022, 03:18:11 AM »

So Knix blew all their cap space on Fournier and Walker.
Any idea how much cap space Knix will have this summer?
Looks like just the amount of the annual cap increase, maybe $5M - $8M.  Which is in the range of MLE exceptions which most teams have available.  So virtually nothing.

Knix are on the hook for $9M to Kemba next year.
Noah's $6.5M finally coming off, but that's eaten up by everyone's annual raises.
Taj's $5M isn't guaranteed, but even that savings would be eaten up by Randle's new contract bump.  Mitch still needs to be re-signed. 

Ideally, I'd want to have last year's $25M cap space back.  And offer Brunson $18M - $20M.  DAL would have a hard time matching that.

For those praising the front office, they sure pissed away the Knix big cap space hoard.  Not sure who else will be available in FA this Summer, but Knix could have punted last year -- after trying for FVV and/or Ball -- and been big players this year.  BOS old backcourt of Kemba and FourEva -- $26M this; $27M next -- unsurprisingly wasn't worth it.  Much rather have FVV or BallZo at an overpay of $25M.  Or rollover the cap space to this Summer.

I guess it's difficult/unlikely Knix will have the cap space to add Brunson or anything much beyond a role player. 

Btw, Randle has a 15% trade kicker.  Also, makes an extra $1M this year if he makes the all-Defensive team.  Really.  Or the AS team.  Or Knix make the playoffs and Randle plays in 65 games.

70

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 31, 2022, 01:54:53 AM »

More than a few..some probably with pretty good return, call us up Portland, Covington is washed, you need a Julius bad!

And what does Portland offer us in return?

Would almost have to be McCollum, since the issue in POR is that Lillard and McC dominate the ball and can't stop anyone.  So you don't want to add Randle to that tandem.  Randle for McC would rebalance their roster positionally, without actually solving the O/D imbalance.  And of course then the Knix would have another SG who plays iffy D. 

Expand to Randle and Fournier for McCollum & Covington.
But again, doesn't solve anything for anyone.  POR needs a defender in the backcourt with Lil Dame.  Not Foureva leaving his man.  Swapping around offenders isn't going to help either team improve their defense.  They could use a Mitch/Noel.

Of course the idea of selling low on Julius before Toppings is a legit starter could use a rethink ...

71

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 30, 2022, 10:05:50 AM »

... or trade.
Perhaps Fournier to somewhere, freeing up minutes for Grimes and Cammish.

Othersowise I'd have Cam's locker next to Burks.  They have similar games and early career struggles, compounded by injury.
Burks was stuck behind a rotating cast of others his first few years, then they drafted the somewhat similar Rod Hood.  When Burks got his chance to start in Y4, he blew out his shoulder early Dec.  Then Y5 made it to Xmas before his knee gave way.  So two lost years.  Then trades, etc.  Burks can help Reddish through it.

72

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 30, 2022, 12:39:19 AM »

TyH bounced back from two subpar games, dropping 38 on HI (with 3 steals, 7 assists).  Looks like '6ers tried to sic ThyBull on him, and tyH tagged fouls on him and got him out.  (12 FT's; 4 fouls in just 11 min for Thybull).

Wiggy seems like the kind of guy who will take the AS award and play better post-validation. 

I'm sure it's happened before, but it's hard to think of another healthy player so locked in and focused one year and then as perplexed and distracted the next as Julius Randle last year to this one.   

73

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 29, 2022, 11:53:47 PM »

Maybe all the ObiT chants and cheers have gotten to Randle's head.
Maybe trading ObiT would relieve his burden and regain his glory.

Doesn't seem like the Knix are going to make any trade.
We really need a starting PG and one isn't available
(except Fox and maybe Lillard, but what could we offer, and do we want either of them anyway).
Bo says No.
I'd be trying to trade for TyH, Brogdon and Brunson.  All could be available.

Mitch would seem our best trade asset.  Then ObiT.  Noel.
If Rose were healthy, he might be the kind of smart scoring vet some lower playoff teams might covet.
4Eva has consistency and defensive issues, but also can light it up. 
Could trade some of those for a solid switchable 3&D wing.
Covington a bit creaky.  Dwight Powell/Kleber more F/C's.
Siakim pricey.

Maybe Red Cam can be that 3&D wing we need.
A couple games ago he had a real nice block and then some other good defensive plays late 4Q.  An erratic scorer, but capable of scoring from anywhere.
I'd like to see the Cammishioner get some significant court time.
Yute development is all this season promises.

74

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 29, 2022, 02:03:04 PM »

Fournier spent the first 5 minutes of the game drifting way far from Gray Allen.  So helped muck up the paint some.  The one time they kicked to Allen, Mitch rotated out quickly.  Then Gray adjusted.  6:50 mark, FourEva keeps swiveling his head even though JRue is doubled in the paint.  Loses track of Gray Son who hits an uncontested 3.  Very next play, Gray goes right around the forever drifting Fournier and tips the o-rebound to Connaught.  Then subbed out for Grimes/2nd unit.  In his 2nd rotation, 4Ev gave up an open corner 3 late 2Q, only negated because Portis knocked over Noel down low.

Entire 1st half of iffy D, as 4Eva constantly drifted far off his man.  Wasn't much damage as 4Ev tasked with guarding the least offensive Buck, first Gray Son then Hill/DiVicenzo.  The one time 4Ev doubled was ineffective, leaving his man open on the baseline, though the pass went to Anti-Greek for a dunk.  1st half, I'd call it mediocre D (below average).

75

Basketball / Re: Knicks

« on: January 29, 2022, 02:31:32 AM »

Knix hung around.  Mostly due to FourEva J's.
4Ev also had one of those games where a poor defender suddenly tries to defend and overdoes it.  Just get in solid position and stay in front of your man, and navigate screens as well as you can.  Instead he fouled like mad unnecessarily.

RJB played hard as usual.  10 FT's.  and made them.

Mitch needs to get some arc on his FT's.  Can't be leaving so many points on the court.  Mitch got his hands on a ton of rebounds, but MIL did a good job all game of gang rebounding and tipping the ball away from Mitch.  Then late, MIL got a bunch of off-boards to help drain the clock.

Kemba helped give us some ball movement.  +6 with him; -21 without.  Probably why he was out there late.  Sure feels like IQ is who he is and has plateaued.  He can't shoot FT's or floaters any better really.  His 3 is pretty good.  And he just doesn't seem to have PG mentality or skills.  IQ has gotten a bit more pesky on D.  Better than last year.  Bench energizer/scorer.  Which is fine.  But doesn't help us with our PG issue.

MIL didn't play particularly well, yet didn't have much trouble knocking off the Knix.